Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



1 F. ocowmon.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

- APPLICATlON FILED APR- H, 1914. mmmm' Pa nted Apr. 20, 19115.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTUR. cfoknifflazuwr By M 7/5 A TTORNEY WITNESSES THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. FnulO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, n r

I. F. OCONNOR.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-1|, 1914.

2 SHEETB-SHEET 2 g IN VEN TOR.

(17M 1'7 0 Qmwr H/J A TTORNE Y WITNESSES H: NORRIS PETERS co. PHOrc-LITHCL, WASHINGTON, D. C.

&U%U Patented M1220, 19115.

Ionn F. o coi'vivon, or cnrcneo, ILLINOIS, assronoia TO WILLIAM Ir. Minna, or CHICAGO, ILLIiIoIs.

DRAFT-EIGGING FOB RAILWAY-CABS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1215..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draft-Rigging for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a draft rigging of simple construction and efficient operation.

It is well known that a straight bar having resilient qualities, such as spring steel, will, when one end is secured, and the other end has a crank thereto, and a weight applied to the said crank, yield a certain torsional resistance, and the weight will move a certain determinable distance. If the same bar is coiled into a helical spring of a mean diameter equal to the length of the crank employed, and the same weight is applied to the helical spring, the helical spring will resist the movement of the weight with the same force as did the straight bar, and the weight will move the same distance under the influence of gravity; that is, the resisting capacity of the helical spring thus formed will be the same as the resisting ca-' pacity of the straight bar in torsion. I take advantage of this known principle in my invention as hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of the compression resisting member of a draft rigging embodying my invention, showing the sills, or parts of the car frame in which the same is mounted, in cross section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a draft rigging embodying my invention, intermediate portions of the compression resisting member being broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing in side elevation the means of connecting the compression resisting member to the draw-bar and the adjacent portion of one of the sills. Fig. i is an enlarged detail illustrating the means of fastening the ends of the compression resisting member. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one part of the member connecting the spring to the draw-bar.

Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, illustrate a modification, Fig. 6 showing in side elevation the draw-bar, a portion of the springs between the draft members, the means of connecting them to the draw-bar, and the adjacent portions of one of the sills. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the modification, intermediate portions of the springs being broken away. Fig. 8 is a detail showing means of attaching the ends of the springs. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a spacing block used in the modified form of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, thenumerals 10-10 indicate draft members, preferably the center sills in which the draft gear is mounted.

The numerals 11-11 represent additional sills of the car frame, preferably the side sills to which the ends of the spring 12 are attached. The spring 12 comprises an elongated bar, preferably of spring steel, having L-shaped ends, as indicated at the numerals 13-18, the said ends being each secured to an additional sill 11, preferably by means of a plate 1 1 secured to the additional sill by the rivets 15-15, the said plates each having a groove 16 to receive the rightangled adjacent end 18 of the spring, the said end being held within the groove by means of the U-bolt 17, which is provided with the nuts 18-18. Intermediate its ends, the spring 12 passes through perforations 19-19 in the draft members or center sills 10-10, the spring 12 being provided intermediate the sills with a double crank, indicated at the numerals 20-20 in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the said crank being preferably formed integrally with the bar 12, and having the crank arms 21-21 and the connecting member 22-22. In preferable construction, I provide a slot 23-23 above each perforation 19 in each sill or draft member 10 to permit the insertion of the bar 12 into its position in reference to the center sills from above, and a filler block 2 1 for each of said slots. A reinforcing loop 25-25 is in preferable construction passed over the bar 12 on the inner face of the draft sills 10-10, there being one for each sill, each loop 25 extending inwardly and being of an inverted V-shape to limit the forward and rearward movements of the crank 20, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The numeral 26 indicates a draw-bar of 15 When in assembled position,

40 filler block 39,

the usual type, only the rear portion thereof being shown in the drawings, the'said drawbar being provided with a transverse slot 27 for the passage of a coupler key 28, which extends through the slots 29-29 in the adjacent forwardly extended arms 30 of the connecting member 31, there being one arm on either side of the draw-bar. The connecting member 31 is preferably a two-piece structure of a general rectangular shape in has in itsnarrow ed e an inwardly extending slot, that of one member extending from the upper edge, as illustrated at the numeral 35 in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and the other member having an upwardly. extending slot,

:as indicated at the numeral36 in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Each of said slots is providedwith'aright-angled turn, as indicated at the numerals 37'37, said turns being preferably forwardly extended, and forming the transverse perforation 33 when the parts of the connecting member 31 are assembled. Thus the onemember forming the connecting'member 31 may be pressed into engagement with the transverse portion of the double crank from underneath, and the other member from above the transverse portion of said crank, and the transverse portion of the crank upon entering the perforation 33 is held therein by the transverse passed transversely through the right-angledv portions of the slots in the two members forming the connecting member 31.

Qn forward movement of the draw-bar,

" the bar 12 offers torsional resistance upon the traction of the draw-bar communicated to the double crank of the bar 12 through the connecting member 31. The extreme forward movement of the crank is limited by' the. inverted V-shaped member 25. .On

rearward movement of the draw-bar in a. similar manner, its travel is resisted by the torsional resistance'of the bar 12 applied against the draw-bar through the connect- 7 ing member 31.

In the modification of myinvention, illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive of the drawing, the same principle and method of operation is utilized, the chief difference becc tween this modification and the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, being in the number of bars employed. In the modification, the numeral 40 indicates draft sills, preferably the center sills of the car 5050,

5 the dditional sills, preferably the side sills of the car 5151, a plurality of straight bars having right-angled ends, the ends of the bars being each secured to an additional sill 50, preferably by means of a plate 52 having grooves 53 therein to receive the right-angled ends, the said ends being held within the grooves by means of the U-bolts 54:. The bars 51 each pass through a perforation 55 in the draft sills 1-0, and between the sills are provided with a double crank 56, the transverse portions 57 57 of said cranks passing transversely through slots 58 in the connecting member 59, the said conneeting member 59 preferably comprising a U-shaped strap having slotted forward ends 6060 to receive the coupler key (31, which engages the connecting member to the drawbar 62, the rear end thereof being shown in the drawings. The slot 58 in the U-shaped connecting member opens rearwardly to permit the easy assembling of the connecting member upon the cranks 56, the cranks 56 being held in the same relative positions to each other by means of a plurality of spacing blocks 6767 having grooves G8 68 on their front and rear faces, which, when the spacing blocks are placed one between each of the cranks and one between the forward crank and the rear end of the draw-bar, and one between the rear crank andthe rear end of the loop forming the connecting member, provide transverse perforations in which the transverse portions of the double cranks operate. The rear spacing block is provided with upper and lower shoulders 69-69 engaging the outer edges of the U-shaped strap. When the connecting member is mounted upon the double cranks, and the spacing blocks are placed in their appropriate positions, the draw-bar is then inserted between the arms of the connecting member, and keyed there in, the draw-bar thereupon holding the spacing blocks in their position within the connecting member. The bars 5151 preferably pass through the plates 707O upon the inner faces of the draft members or center sills 40, the sills and plate 70 being provided preferably with an upwardly removable portion 71 to permit the insertion of the bars 51-51 from above into their position in relation to the draft members 1O 40. The said plates are also provided on their inner faces with the downwardly diverging shoulders 727 2, which are adapted to limit the forward and rearward swing of the cranks in the operation of the gear. It will be apparent that upon forward move ment of the draw-bar, the cranks between the draft members 4040 will be drawn forwardly by the connecting member, its for ward movement being resisted by the tersional resistance of the bars 5151 until the front crank engages the adjacent shoulder 72, which will then prevent the further forward movement of the draw-bar. On rearward movement of the draw-bar, the torsional resistance of the bars 51 will be applied through the cranks thereof and the connecting member to the draw-bar.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination withthe draw bar and carframe, of a bar secured to the car-frame, a crank thereon, and means for securing said crank to the inner end of the draw-bar to thereby cushion the movement of the drawbar.

2. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the car-frame and drawbar, of means for resisting the longitudinal movement of the draw-bar, comprising a bar secured to the car underframe and means for applying torsional force thereto when the draw-bar moves longitudinally.

3. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the car underframe and draw-bar, of a bar secured at its ends to the car underframe and having a crank intermediate its ends, the said crank being connected to the inner end of the draw-bar.

I. In a draft gear for railway cars, the combination with the car underframe, of a draw-bar, a bar secured at its ends to the car underframe, and having intermediate its ends a double crank connected to the inner end of the draw-bar.

5. In a draft gear for railway cars, the combination with the car underframe, of a draw-bar, a bar secured at its ends to the car underframe, and having intermediate its ends a double integral crank connected to the inner end of the draw-bar.

6. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft sills, additional sills and a draw-bar, of a bar passing through the draft sills and secured at its ends to the additional sills to prevent rotation of the ends thereof, the said bar having intermediate the draft sills a crank, the said crank being connected to the draw-bar.

7. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft sills, additional sills and a draw-bar, of a bar rigidly secured at its ends to the additional sills, the draft sills having perforations for the passage of the bar, the said bar having a crank interme diate the draft sills, the said crank being connected to the draw-bar.

8. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft sills and the drawbar, of a bar having its ends rigidly secured to a car underframe, a crank upon said bar between the draft sills, and means connecting said crank to the inner end of the draw- 9. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft sills and the drawbar, of a bar adapted to have its ends rigidly secured to a car underframe, a crank upon :llilt said bar between the draft sills, and means 7 connecting said crank to the draw-bar, said means comprising a member having a perforation in which the said crank engages.

10. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with a car underframe and draw-bar, of a bar mounted in said underframe having a crank thereon, and means connecting said crank to the draw-bar, said means comprising a connector, slotted to receive the crank and having forwardly eX tended arms keyed to the draw-bar.

11. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the car underframe, of a bar mounted in said underframe, a drawbar, and a connecting member, the straight bar having a crank thereon, the connecting member comprising a two-piece member having slots to receive the crank, and means connecting said member to the draw-bar.

12. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the car underframe, of a bar mounted therein, a draw-bar and a connecting member, the bar having a crank thereon, the connecting member comprising a pair of members, one having an upper slot, and the other having a lower slot, the said slots having turns therein forming together a continuous transverse slot through the connecting member to receive the crank, the said connecting member being engaged to the draw-bar.

13. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with the car underframe and draw-bar, of a bar having its ends rigidly secured to the car underframe and having a crank intermediate its ends, a connecting member engaging the crank to the draw-bar, the said connecting member comprising two members having slots for threading the said members upon the crank, each of said slots having a turn therein forming a continuous opening through the connecting member for the crank, and means for inclosing the said crank therein.

14. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft sills, additional sills and the draw-bar, of a bar passing through the draft sills, plates upon the additional sills, the said plates being adapted to rigidly secure the ends of the bar to the additional sills to prevent rotation thereof, the bar having a crank intermediate its ends and between the draft sills, the said crank being operatively connected to the draw-bar.

15. In a draft rigging for railway cars,. the combination with the car underframe and draw-bar, of torsional shock absorbing means, comprising a bar and a crank thereon, the said crank being connected to the draw-bar at the inner end of the latter.

16. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with a draw-bar, of car sills, a transversely extending bar having one end thereof secured to a sill to thereby prevent the car frame to prevent rotation thereof, and means connecting the inner end of the draw-bar and an intermediate point of said rod arranged to twist the latter upon longil tudinal movement of the draw-bar in either direction.

JOHN F. OCONNOR.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH BRITT, CARRIE G; RANZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

' Washington, D. G. 

